THE PROGRAM:
Roughly twenty-two students will be selected by Merrill College to participate in the thirteenth annual Merrill College Frosh Scholars Program (a.k.a. the Scholars Program). Participants will take two five-credit seminar courses -- one in the fall quarter (a designated section of the core course) and one in the spring quarter (a frosh seminar), enroll in the Merrill Core Visual Laboratory during the fall, and enroll in Classroom Connection every quarter to do service work in a nearby elementary school. Additionally, Merrill Frosh Scholars are expected to take part in extracurricular activities organized by the College Provost throughout the year.
THE COURSES:
FALL:
Merrill 80X. Introduction to University Discourse: Cultural Identities & Global Consciousness (5 credits)
All first-year UC Santa Cruz students are required to take a college core course. At Merrill College, the course, Cultural Identities and Global Consciousness, incorporates fictional and nonfictional texts that shed light both on issues of global import and on diverse peoples' struggles to assert and preserve their cultural identity. Merrill 80X is a section of the Core course designed for students participating in the Scholars Program.
Merrill 80L. Merrill Core Visual Laboratory (2 credits)
Visual laboratory designed to work in tandem with the Merrill Core Course to enhance learning for students with diverse skills and learning styles. Required for students in the Scholars Program.
Merrill 85C. Merrill Classroom Connection (2 credits)
Supervised hands-on experience assisting in local elementary school classrooms. Students also attend UCSC course meetings, complete relevant readings in educational theory, and present a final assignment. Course is graded Pass/No Pass.
WINTER:
During the winter quarter, Frosh Scholars will join together for a variety of co-curricular events.
Merrill 85C. Merrill Classroom Connection (2 credits)
Supervised hands-on experience assisting in local elementary school classrooms. Students also attend UCSC course meetings, complete relevant readings in educational theory, and present a final assignment. Course is graded Pass/No Pass.
SPRING:
Merrill 80Z. Merrill Frosh Scholars Seminar (5 credits)
A research-based, writing-intensive seminar focused on the construction of persuasive arguments. Explores topics of cultural, historical and/or political interest, taught by a Merrill Faculty Fellow. This is an opportunity for Frosh to take a seminar, typically reserved for seniors. Topic will change yearly.
Merrill 85C. Merrill Classroom Connection (2 credits)
Supervised hands-on experience assisting in local elementary school classrooms. Students also attend UCSC course meetings, complete relevant readings in educational theory, and present a final assignment. Course is graded Pass/No Pass.
REQUIREMENTS MET:
Merr 80X and Merr 80Z meet a number of campus general education requirements. The fall course satisfies the T3 (topical course in the social sciences) requirement, the E (ethnic studies) requirement, and the C1 composition requirement. The spring course satisfies the T4 (topical course in the humanities and arts) requirement and the C2 composition requirement. Thus, Frosh Scholars will not have to take Writing 2, Rhetoric and Inquiry, inasmuch as this general education (C2) requirement will be fulfilled by their spring seminar course.
HOUSING:
Frosh Scholars share the same wing of a residence hall at Merrill College under the supervision of a Residential Assistant who will plan related extracurricular activities.
COMMITMENT:
Frosh Scholars must make a commitment for the full year regardless of other obligations including other course work, employment or extra curricular activities. Because of the need to maintain a seminar-sized group for the entire year, students may not opt out halfway through. Students selected for the program should be aware, therefore, that they are waiving some of the flexibility that other students have.
NEXT STEP:
This announcement is being sent to students admitted to UC Santa Cruz whose high school records qualify them for consideration for the Scholars Program. Students who wish to pursue the possibility of joining the program must opt to attend UC Santa Cruz and then select Merrill College as their first-choice college. From this group, students will be invited to apply for the Scholars Program by writing a three- to four-page essay on an assigned topic.
